Emmanuel Siwale, the head coach of Zesco United in Zambia, spoke about his happiness at reaching the group stage of the African Confederation, confirming that his ambition is to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Siwale said in statements via the "Stadium Al-Mahwar" program: "The draw is exciting and thrilling for me, because we had set a clear goal of reaching the group stage, and this goal has indeed been achieved. Therefore, it is natural for our ambition to change now. It is no longer enough for us to just be among the big teams; we aspire to reach the quarterfinals."

He added: "What excites me is that the group includes big and well-known teams in the continent, and everyone has already started analyzing it and making predictions. But if you want to be among the best, you have to beat the best. This group will be a real test that shows us our position and our true level, and it will be a great motivation for the team to develop and progress further."

Regarding facing Zamalek and Al-Masry, he said: "Why did you choose to talk only about the two Egyptian teams? In our group, there are four teams, all of which are strong and deserve respect. You cannot judge the competition in advance because it is like a mini-league; every match will be important."

He continued: "It is true that the teams in North Africa have become accustomed to excelling in recent years, like Zamalek and others, but football is developing rapidly, and there are no longer significant differences between the clubs. Every team now fights for victory; there is financial motivation, and there is also the ambition of the players to prove themselves on the continental level."

He concluded his statements by saying: "I am proud of my young team, and this continental participation will give our players great experience and help them grow and develop. Playing at this high level will make them more mature and capable of competing."